Service industry employees who have lost work due to the COVID-19 response could possibly find employment in one job sector that is rapidly hiring to meet demand: grocery stores.
Following Gov. JB Pritzker’s shelter-in-place declaration issued Friday (March 20), grocery stores are among the few places anyone is allowed to go for the next two weeks. But even before the order, several grocery store companies had announced they were planning to bring on additional workers to prepare for a rush of customers, an increased demand for delivery service and the potential that the coronavirus could sideline part of their workforce.
Hy-Vee, which operates 265 retail stores across eight states, announced Friday it is seeking temporary, part-time hourly employees to work at many of its stores and its two distribution centers in Iowa.
Public Relations Director Christina Gayman said Hy-Vee needs more workers to restock shelves and to clean and sanitize its stores.
“Those who may have temporarily lost their job due to the current pandemic, are out of school, want to make additional money, or simply want to help during this time are welcome to apply at Hy-Vee,” Gayman said.
Walmart has announced plans to hire 150,000 workers nationwide and will pay $550 million in bonuses to staff.
